What influences the placement of a scientific field along the hard/soft spectrum besides epistemological rigor?
Answer
Historical tradition or perceived public prestige.
The categorization of a science as hard or soft is not always based purely on objective epistemological rigor or methodology. The text suggests that external factors significantly influence where a discipline is placed in this informal ranking system. Historical tradition, meaning how long the field has been established or how it developed historically, plays a role. Moreover, perceived public prestige—how society views the importance or reliability of the knowledge produced—can elevate or diminish a field’s perceived 'hardness,' irrespective of its current quantitative success or methodological strictness.
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